COVID-19 pandemic ‘e-experiences’ as accelerators of digital society

Abstract

This study aims to determine the factors that increased the likelihood of noticing the usefulness of digital solutions during the pandemic. A matrix of basic socio-demographic factors, individual experiences with digital solutions during the COVID-19 pandemic, and specific factors imposed exclusively by the pandemic (e.g., fear of human contact) are all included. The methodology comprises a survey of 1,000 adult residents of Poland. The sample was structured so as to be representative of the Polish population in terms of age, gender, and place of residence. Logit modelling was used to analyse the results. Using digital solutions for government business, education, consultations, shopping, and interpersonal communication during the COVID-19 pandemic was found to have a significant positive impact on the perception of the usefulness of digital technologies. The study posits that the pandemic accelerated and consolidated the creation of a digital society through positive and relatively new e-experiences on a mass scale.

Keywords

• covid-19 pandemic
• digital society
• e-experiences
• usefulness of digital solutions